Davis Law Group, P.S.

Should there be Cameras on School Buses?

This is a highly debated topic. Over 90 percent of bus accidents are causes by the driver being distracted by the children misbehaving on the bus.

Who was hitting who? Who stole who’s lunch? If there was a camera inside, it would catch all of this misbehavior and the kids would act appropriately if they knew they could be caught. Therefore, the driver could concentrate more on driving instead of regulating.

Another idea that has been recently discussed is having a camera on the outside of the bus. Majority of accidents associated with school buses, are children or parents getting hit by cars that are passing the bus. Even though it is illegal to pass a stopped school bus, many still do and cause great danger to the children. Many drivers see “close calls” frequently.

If there was a video to capture this reckless behavior, the driver could be held responsible for his/her driving negligence. Some states have implemented this already. In these few states, they send a warning letter to the driver of the car saying that your car was seen passing a stopped school bus and letting them know there will be a repercussion if they commit this offense again.

Some counties are fighting for tickets to be sent to the violators immediately, instead of a warning. School bus officials say that the bus cameras are for safety, not revenue purposes.